These bombings of Shiite markets are provocations against the Mahdi Army. The Sunni guerrillas want it to come out and fight, and then to turn surged US firepower on it by stealth.

The allegations that all the explosively formed projectiles set off against US troops in Baghdad in recent months were Shiite operations are in this context extremely fishy. The Baathis are entirely capable of deliberately buying Iranian components on the open market and using them in their attacks on the US, so as to throw suspicion on Mahdi Army fighters. Some were found in the Sunni district of Mansur. Very suspicious.